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South Americans Wage Battle Against Economic World Order
Continent's People Optimistically Continue Fight Largely Abandoned by Western Activists
Across South America rages the battle the rest of the world forgot.
It's a battle for a change in the way that the world does economics. Its symptoms mark the beautiful cities of the continent: In Quito, Ecuadorians protest daily against a proposed free-trade agreement with the United States, while Colombians graffiti their cities' walls with slogans decrying privatization.
In La Paz, roads are blocked daily by Bolivians with strong opinions on foreign-owned oil companies. In Buenos Aires, factory workers flaunt a world without bosses as one factory after another is turned into a co-operative.
Their battle isn't confined to the streets. It's manifested itself in the politics of South America, as left-leaning leaders continue to dominate and be broadly supported. From Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, to Evo Morales in Bolivia, to Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, these men carry the dreams of South Americans onto the world stage.
Throughout my journey across South America, I have been continually struck by the intensity with which the continent yearns for change. My Global View column is saying goodbye to Asia — and turning to how South Americans are changing their lives.
Their stories are titillating. I've met Ecuadorian activists who are harnessing English to further their cause, spent time with a Colombian paramilitary who is struggling to turn his life around and stood in awe of a group of mothers who talk politics every Tuesday with the president of Argentina. I've witnessed elections across the continent and watched as South Americans fill their ballot boxes and occupy their streets in search of change.
Their struggle isn't new to us in the West. In 1999, thousands of protesters from developed and developing nations gathered in Seattle to counter a meeting of the World Trade Organization. At the heart of their protest was not a rejection of globalization, but instead a call for labour, environmental and human rights within globalization. Their collective presence laid the foundation for a movement that captivated the lives of activists around the world.
What brought these activists together was a belief that the current system of global economics marginalizes developing countries and further entangles them in poverty. Much of their protest is directed against the Western-led World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which provide loans to developing countries. The loans they provide are desperately needed to develop infrastructure and stabilize the economies of developing countries, but come at the price of agreeing to follow the rules of these institutions. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund believe strongly in the principles of free markets and demand increased privatization, decreased spending on social services and unfettered free trade in exchange for lending money.
While these demands have sometimes generated conditions that enable countries to escape poverty, more often they have further impoverished countries. The push towards free markets often forces vulnerable domestic industries onto a global market where they are competing with heavily subsidized products from the U.S., Canada and Europe. The institutions advocate a minimal role for governments in countries that borrow money from them, which inevitably erodes local services such as health care and education.
The result, visible in countries across the global South, is often a collapse of local industries, and a population that has less access to education and is more vulnerable to diseases such as HIV/AIDS. It is this understanding that brought together hundreds of thousands of people around the world in what is commonly called the anti-globalization movement.
Two years after their first appearance in Seattle, the same groups brought down Quebec City. They stunned the meeting of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas with the largest protests Canada has ever seen.
From their movement stemmed the World Social Forum, an annual conference where the people behind the movement gather to plan international campaigns, formulate strategies and articulate their issues.
But while a few Western activists continue to be involved in the movement, the bulk of them have moved on. The recent World Economic Forum in Hong Kong was protested by people from Korea, India and Brazil, but Western protesters were far and few between.
South Americans are well aware that they have lost many of their allies in battle. Far from dampening their motivation, the loss has made them more adamant in their struggle. They have turned to new strategies, from political leaders to natural resources, to accomplish the changes they want to see in the world.
In Bolivia, everyone from cab drivers to street kids boasts that they have their first-ever indigenous leader, Evo Morales, to speak for their mostly indigenous population. Venezuelans speak highly of the increased social spending Chavez has devoted to them while in Argentina, Kirchner is revered for putting their economy on the right path without compromising the ideals of Argentines.
They are making use of their natural resources, especially oil. South Americans, who relentlessly complain of foreign-owned oil companies swooping in to collect their oil in exchange for only a small part of the profits, have started to think about their resources as their own for the taking.
Will it all work? South Americans think so. In these lands, where revolution was invented, re-invented and perfected, South Americans are banking on it. And despite the world's amnesia, they forge on. With or without our support, South Americans intend to change the world.
After years of experience in the field of human rights and social justice issues in Canada, Ashifa Kassam started to wonder how others around the world have been coping with their own challenges. With the intent of satisfying her curiosity, she is currently traveling across continents to volunteer with various grassroots development organizations. Originally from Calgary and educated at Queen's University, this freelance writer and activist aims to tell stories that will take readers far beyond tourism.
© 2007 CBC News
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16 Comments so far
Show AllJerryfromTijuana,
Yes, Dan Rather is alive and well and on TV. The proven forgeries did result in the show producer and 3 others being fired by CBS.
And RCTV, Radio Caracas Television, continues to broadcast on cable and satellite. You need to see "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144&q=venezuela
"When will the U.S. media stop attacking Hugo Chavez?"
The answer to that questions is never. We will not stop until the every socialist group is taken out from the face of the earth. That way capitalism can parade around without any hindrance.
But Socialism has given rise to a lot of oppressive regimes. Chavez is silencing critics by banning them. I think this is what's wrong about every socialist government in history. Dissent is a right! I could care less about his trade policies with oil companies. They deserve to have their profits chopped off!
-----------------------------------------------
" would really like someone to parallel the wrongs of western capitalism with that of stricly imposed Islam."
Western capitalism is good for richer countries. It promotes regimes which strictly impose Islam. There is no parallel to capitalism. It flourishes wherever there is profit. Extremist Islam is just another tool..or for that matter neo communism. Who cares about brutality in China as long as we get socks for 2 dollars?
Yes, educate the world about these tyrannies. Lets pull the cover from the glorified images of our past presidents. Lets remind them what Reagan conveniently forgot to write in his diaries. We heard how he was mad about the deal that he HAD to make with the Commies but forgot the deal he made with Saddam. Not to mention the Sandinistas..the Iranians. Yeah, lets educate the world!
As encouraging as the changes in South America are, Central America--particularly Guatamala and El Salvador--is still under the thumb of U.S. economc and foreign policy. Since 1992, every national election in El Salvador has been won by the ARENA party, the same people responsible for the death squads that terrorized the people for 12 years, with the support of the Reagan/Bush administrations. These tiny countries are already suffering under CAFTA, which was forced on them in midnight votes by their right-wing governments. No one is paying attention to their plight.
Thank you Kassam for putting a worker, environmental, and human rights frame around globalization and "free" trade agreements. And in the MSM no less!
I have one question, however...."Western activists continue to be involved in the movement, the bulk of them have moved on." Moved on? On to what? Is this really true?
South and Central America have for years borne the brunt of US capitalism. The US has maintained an exhorbitant level of exploitation in the southern hemisphere for over a century using military force, coups and dictatorships to maintain it. By bogging down our military in the Iraqi debacle, Bush has inadvertantly unleashed the hydra of anti-imperialist resistance. They will build their own future now and if Bolivia and Venezueala are examples, it will be a progressive one.
When will the U.S. media stop attacking Hugo Chavez?
Ashifa Kassam has brought to light what's really happening in South America. It's a blossoming of freedom with the people taking an active role in determining their future; a welcomed change.
It takes a Canadian and a Canadian news service, with a slivery of light, to penetrate the darkness of the American news media. How many news wires will carry this story?
Sho Shweet.
More fertile Ground for Islamic Conversions.
I would really like someone to parallel the wrongs of western capitalism with that of stricly imposed Islam.
Educate the world about these tyrannies and maybe you could get peace.
Hey Spartanladkenny,
It's amazing how capitalism can ban critics. Look at what happened to Dan Rather. Or what happening to many of the critics of the Iraq war. Or how a 2 party system in the U.S. can monopolize political debate, thus controlling it.
As for Reagan, remember Reagan financed, trained and armed the mujahideen in Afghanistan during the 80s. The mujahideen later became what the American government now calls the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Direct democracy is the antidote to extreme money-power concentration in capitalism and communism.
The white man's Europe, Canada, and the U.S. is getting more conservative. Meanwhile the brown man's South and Central America is turning socialist. I think this is a sign of a paradigm shift. The g8 countries are losing power and losing influence and the response to to fall into conservatism. The young vibrant and growing third world is the future. South America is leading the way. Let's hope this spreads into SE Asia. If it does it will be unstoppable and might just save humanity from the scourge of the white man's burden.
Educate the world about these tyrannies and maybe you could get peace.
The problem is not "education" ; the problem is application and Americans in general have been unwilling to do anything to thwart the hegemony of un-bridled capitalism . The application that I'm talking about is benign-not-tyrannical socialism as practised in Canada and every Western European country,you know , real commie-pinko ideas like socialized health-care and education.
Please don't use sand-box excuse for bullying by saying " Johnnnie is doing it too so don't isolate me for admonishment".
"Grant me the strength to change those conditions in my power and to accept those things not in my power and the wisdom to recognize the difference.
Our task is to make America (North and South) a highly- admired ,benignly socialist "city on the hill" so attractive to and thus attainable for average Muslims that both ultra-tyrannical Capitalists and ultra-tyrannical Muslims become extinct
Hey, everyone, log onto the CBC site where this item appears, and send a comment to CBC with your opinion of the piece. Maybe we can get CBC Newsworld, the all-news channel, to start reporting on Latin America's progress on a regular basis. Cuz the CBC is often all too happy to report on the anti-Chavez protests without saying who exactly is doing the protesting. Canadian media are slightly more responsible than US media, but they need to be encouraged.
Spartanladkenny wrote:
"Chavez is silencing critics by banning them."
No, RCTV continues on cable, and the rest of the Venezuelan MSM continues to bash and slander Chavez 24 hours a day unimpeded. But most Venezuelans have learned to tune them out - I wish USAns could learn to do likewise.
"The Revolution Will Not be Televised" and other Bolivarian documentaries are available on DVD here:
http://venezuelasolidarity.org.uk/form.html
South Americans can resolve their disputes by themselves without interference from outsiders. If they don't like their leaders, they can vote them out in future elections. They seem to have grasped the meaning of democracy better than many people in the developed nations.
Someone gets their information from the Mexican news broadcasts and uses that to conclude that the news in Venezuela is censored. That gave me the best laugh I had in a long time.
Someone else suggested that Dan Rather was justifiably fired, and was not singled out because of the target of his story, when one news story he broadcast had faulty information, while virtually every news broadcaster in the US broadcasts reports based on false information almost every day. How many thousands of times did networks and newsreaders report that Gore had claimed to have "invented the Internet," when he never actually said that, but instead, rightfully, was taking credit for taking the initiative on funding Internet development. I do not remember anyone being fired for that.